UFC star McGregor suspended 18 months over missed drug tests

Mixed martial arts prima Conor McGregor has been issued an 18-month suspension aft missing 3 cause tests successful a 12-month period, anti-doping authorities said Tuesday.

Irishman McGregor, 37, a erstwhile Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight and lightweight champion, has accepted the suspension, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) said successful a statement.

CSAD said McGregor, 1 of UFC’s astir bankable fighters, missed 3 tests connected June 13, September 19 and September 20 past twelvemonth successful a breach of anti-doping “whereabouts” protocols.

The bureau said McGregor had afloat cooperated with its investigation, accepted work and provided accusation that helped explicate wherefore helium had missed tests.

“Despite these mitigating factors, CSAD emphasizes that close whereabouts filings and the quality to behaviour unannounced investigating are indispensable to the occurrence of the UFC anti-doping protocol,” the bureau said.

The assemblage reduced McGregor’s punishment from the modular play of 2 years to 18 months, backdating the suspension’s commencement day to September 2024.

McGregor volition beryllium escaped to combat again by March 20 adjacent year, perchance leaving him escaped to combat astatine a UFC lawsuit scheduled to instrumentality spot connected June 14 astatine the White House adjacent twelvemonth to coincide with US President Donald Trump’s birthday.

McGregor has repeatedly indicated helium hopes to combat connected the White House card, though UFC main enforcement Dana White said connected Saturday that nary fighters person yet been signed.

“We person not started negotiating immoderate fights for the White House yet,” White said aft an lawsuit successful Las Vegas. “You tin intelligibly spot Conor is precise fired up to combat connected that card, but thing is done yet.”

The station UFC prima McGregor suspended 18 months implicit missed cause tests appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.